Search age:

Search in:

Australia joins US and Japan in war games

Fighter jets from the United States, Japan and Australia are taking to the skies over the western Pacific in the combat phase of annual Cope North military exercises.

The drills - taking place around the US territory of Guam - have gained importance in recent years as countries in the region respond to the rise of China and other potential threats.

They are aimed at preparing air forces of the US, Japan and Australia to fight together in a military crisis.

They also remind Beijing that the US regional alliances are strong, though officers leading the manoeuvres say they are not looking to bait the Chinese military.

Advertisement

"The training is not against a specific country, like China," Japan Air Self-Defence Force Lieutenant General Masayuki Hironaka said.

"However, I think (the fact) that our alliance with the US and Australia is healthy is a strong message."

The three allies began flying sorties together earlier in the week around Guam in a humanitarian phase of the exercises, dropping emergency assistance in packages that wafted down under parachutes to jungle airfields.

On Thursday, fighter jets were joined by bombers, transport planes and tankers that refuel the fighters in midair.

For the first time, Japanese tankers were joining the drills.

This is the second time the Royal Australian Air Force has participated in Cope North exercises.

US officials said they believe more allies, particularly New Zealand and the Philippines, will join the exercises soon.

Manoeuvres like Cope North are a key element of Washington DC's evolving strategy in the Pacific as the US shifts its emphasis away from Afghanistan and fighting ground wars.

It is now placing more attention on Asia and the possibility of an air or sea confrontation with the rapidly modernising Chinese military, which has been briskly improving its forces and using its growing muscle to back up territorial claims that have raised regional tensions.

This "Pacific rebalance" will bring newer and more advanced aircraft and ships to the Pacific theatre over the next several years and spread out the tens of thousands of US troops now primarily based in Japan and South Korea.

US marines have already begun rotational deployments to Darwin and about 9000 marines stationed on the southern Japan island of Okinawa are to be moved to Guam, Hawaii and other locations.

Washington DC's renewed focus on Asia has generally been welcomed by its more-established and prosperous allies - like Japan and Australia - because they share the US concerns that changes in the balance of power could hurt economic growth throughout the region.

"I think nations throughout the region are looking for that increased support that working with the US is likely to bring," said RAAF Air Commodore Anthony Grady.